Women and gender issues

The United Nations is stepping up its response to severe rains and flooding across Pakistan which have reportedly killed over 1,000 people, including hundreds of children. The situation is expected to worsen with more ongoing rainfall.

The Special Representative for the Secretary-General in Colombia told the Security Council that, in a mostly peaceful election, Colombians elected their new President, Gustavo Petro. The electoral outcomes also included the largest ever share of women, close to 30 per cent of lawmakers.

​​​​​​​Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Rise and Spotlight Initiative art exhibit reception, in New York today:

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today released research that says nearly a third of all women in developing countries become mothers during adolescence.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs allocated $4 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to respond to the crisis in Mali’s Ménaka region, where armed clashes since March have killed hundreds of people and triggered the displacement of an estimated 56,000 people, nearly two‑thirds of them women and children.

Ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) ministerial meeting on global food security, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today appealed for $1.2 billion to meet urgent needs of 8 million children at risk of death from severe wasting.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the “Commonwealth Says No More Violence against Women” side event of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Kigali today:

To a burst of applause, the General Assembly proclaimed 24 June of each year the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, adopting by consensus a resolution today reaffirming that the participation of women, on equal terms with men, at all levels of decision-making is essential to the achievement of sustainable development, peace and democracy.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution on the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, in New York today:

In Sri Lanka, the World Food Programme (WFP) is launching its emergency response in the country amid the escalating food crisis.  WFP is working to provide life-saving food, cash and voucher assistance to 3 million of the most vulnerable people who can no longer meet their food needs due to the economic crisis there.